Wednesday's Devotional

Listen to your father who begot you.

~Proverbs 23:22a (NKJV)

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All too often today, children have no desire to heed their parents' warnings or to listen to their wise words of advice. They would often desire to just hang out with friends, rather than be at home with their family, under their parents' protection. I'm not saying there's anything wrong at all with spending time with friends. My point, though, is this: today, children would rather spend time with friends, do what they do, act as their culture tells them to, etc., than heed their parents' wise counsel and loving commands. And this, is a sad tragedy. Today, rather than being famliy-dependent, children(both young and those in their teens) are becoming more and more peer-dependent. And this can be dangerous and very destructive.

God blessed us with parents for a reason! The family is so very important to God, that Psalm 68:6a says, "God sets the solitary in families." To God, it's not a good thing at all when someone is without the protection and provision of their family. God was so merciful when He blessed us with parents! Our parents are given to us for a number of reasons but perhaps one of the most important is so that they can lead us and guide us in God's Word and His statutes. Our parents are there to train us up in the way we should go, so that when we're old, we won't depart from it. They're given to us to discipline us, and to train us up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They are very very valuable to us, and we should be so very thankful for them! Proverbs 4:1 says, "Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to know understanding." Solomon tells us in Proverbs 4:4-5 that his father said the following to him: "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live. Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." Not only is it sinful to disregard our parents' wise and loving commands and instructions, but it's horribly foolish as well, to disregard that protection! God gave us parents so that we would be trained in His Word, would be taught right from wrong, and so that we would be instructed on the subject of how to grow into God-fearing men and women who live out the Bible's every command. So, be thankful for your fathers and mothers! If they appear strict to you, be thankful for that! That protection, training and authority is a rich blessing that is not to be taken for granted! Proverbs tells us that he who loves his children disciplines them, but he who does not hates his child. It probably won't feel like it at the time we're being disciplined, but that discipline truly is a blessing! Praise the Lord and thank Him daily for blessing you with parents who take the time to train you up in God's Word. That kind of parent is a true blessing indeed, and is sadly very rare in our world today! Don't be foolish by forsaking your fathers' commands, but be wise and listen to his words of instruction, heed those, and obey them. Did you know that in Romans 1, the sin of disobeying one's parents is equated with the sin of murder, sexual immorality, etc.? What a strong reminder that gives us as to the importance of heeding our parents' commands!

I know that some of you have parents who are less than godly, who disagree with your purely Biblical convictions and way of life, etc. And I truly feel for all of you who find yourselves in that situation. But, be strong! Continue to follow the Lord's every command, no matter what your parents may be telling you to do. We're commanded to obey our parents, yes, but above that, we're called on to obey God rather than man[Acts 5:29]. If you have parents like those I just mentioned, then you are called on to obey God-not them. But, the command to honor your parents still stands. You can disobey your parents' ungodly commands and instructions, but you are to do so in a polite, respectful, honoring way. I know that may be a hard thing to do, but we're called on to do so anyway. Take heart, dear sisters, who may find yourselves without parents or without godly, Biblical parents. For, Psalm 68:6 says, "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation."